Man accused of stabbing on Charlotte CATS bus is charged with attempted murder

A Charlotte man was charged with attempted murder in the stabbing of another man in the chest on a CATS bus Thursday.

James Calvin Bennett, 57, was also charged with assault with a deadly weapon with the intent to kill, and was being held without bond, court records say.

A CMPD arrest affidavit said the department received a call about a stabbing near 1409 North Tryon Street at 4:44 p.m. A man had stab wounds, the affidavit said.

He was transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, MEDIC said.

The man was able to speak with police before being taken into surgery, the affidavit said. He told police he got on the bus at a Walmart near North Tryon Street to get away from Bennett after he accused Bennett of flashing a knife at him.

“At one point he told him youre not going to do anything with that knife while on the bus in an attempt to get the suspect to stop intimidating him,” the affidavit said.

Video surveillance from the bus showed Bennett following the victim from the back of the bus to the front , the affidavit said.

Bennett could be seen following the man several times to different areas on the bus before stabbing him, the affidavit said. Bennett continued to stab at the victim after he fell, slicing at his hands while the man defended himself. A bystander pushed Bennett off of the man, the bus driver opened the door, and Bennett ran off, the affidavit said.

The affidavit said the stabbing took place at the front of the bus, near the driver. The bus driver knew the victim well and called him “Frenchie.”

Witnesses, including the bus driver, told police that Bennett was drunk and argumentative with the victim, the affidavit said. The witnesses said the victim tried to calm Bennett down, asked him to leave him alone, and asked Bennett why he was following him.

Riders tried to help the victim when Bennett ran off the bus. An officer later arrested Bennett after recognizing his clothes, blood on his shoes, and a cut on his hand, the affidavit said.

Bennett has faced several charges in recent years, including communicating threats, domestic violence, and habitual larceny. CMPD said Bennett has a previous arrest on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon with the intent to kill but pleaded down to inflicting serious injury with a dangerous weapon .